Lake District Cottages for Short Breaks

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Selina - Verified booking

  I would of really liked to put a good review.

  But the first few days were disastrous The first day we got there it was cold the house was freezing with no heating or hot water and the house smelled like oil Red flag number 1 We unpacked and located the boiler room to smelt so strongly of oil to find a note saying the boiler goes into lock mode and needs reseting flag 2 We reset it thinking it most do so when not used after awhile Not knowing that even with doing so we'd still have hardly any heat or hot water for a shower or bath because it went to lock mode again that evening We reset it again. Flag 3 After a slightly stressful day we went to bed only to find left over belongings of previous guests, cleaning solution still in the bath, the kitchen door having more dust on it i could collect it and the bedding smelling awful Flag 4 Safe to say we tidied up and washed all the bedding sleeping in our thick clothes and travel blanket We woke to a freezing wet morning No heat. No hot water. Reset the boiler again and got on with our day after contacting the owners about the oil smell creeping through the house Only to be told "it's normal and they've been contacted about it before" 5 We came home and decided to have a nice hot meal to then discover the greasy mess which the oven was So I cleaned it and all the pans left in it 6 We came home late and damp from a long rainy walk and had to reset it again! I had to boil water on the stove just so we could have a hot bath that night It was too late in the night to contact anyone so we went to bed 7 By some chance the boiler stayed on that night but we couldn't go into the living room because the smell made you feel sick We came home late to the full house smelling of oil and the boiler had gone off again We opened every door and window and contacted to owners To be told they'll send someone out the next day We waited well into the evening while discussing if we should put in a complaint and cancel the rest of our stay/ ask to be relocated The service man ran late because of a difficult job that morning But he was so nice and understanding and could smell the oil smell spreading through the house again Told me the valve had come lose and to leave the cover off of the boiler He fixed everything Putting some glue on the valve and reset it He then waited with us to make sure it stayed on and told me it had been servised recently Then proceeding to tell us renters around the area had been meddling with boilers in a lot of holiday rents he's been to Which made an alarm go off in my head If its been common why wasn't our boiler checked before we got there just to make sure? Surely if its been smelling like that awhile it's been a problem Why didn't they cleaner tell the owners how bad the smell gets? So it did get rechecked? After that we got on with the rest of our holiday deciding it would be too much stress and time to be relocted and would leave a well needed honest review We still had to reset the boiler again once the day before we left

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• Peter - Verified booking

  The actual lodge was tiny.

  That's OK but for a tiny lodge it was still dirty. The frying pan was unwashed, the floors were dirty, the tops of the wardrobes were very dusty, the lampshades were dusty and one of the pictures had come adrift in its frame. As a base for doing other things, it was situated in a good location. The actual gardens it was in were very tranquil and lovely to sit in. The bed. This was tiny. My wife and I had the space of a pillow width each to move around in and, invariably, it was tight and uncomfortable at night with some heroic bruises. I have arthritis and the space made it impossible to get really comfy so I spent a couple of nights on the small sofa. The DVD had no remote that I could find so that went by the by. The TV was ok though. Further Niggles: The cabin was VERY dark and I had trouble shaving in the bathroom. The small light in the kitchen was flickering on and off constantly. The oven had the control printing virtually faded off so it was touch and go making food. Ended up burning food as the fan oven feature that was so hard to make out turned out to be a grill. Also, no working bulb in it. The shower was nice but the door kept popping off its runners. And no washing machine. The general consensus? The lodge was a good base. Apart from its flaws it was warm and easy to access with basic facilities. Was it good value? We got it for a good price and it was worth it. Just fix the niggles! I don't like publishing them but as an honest review I would be remiss not to mention them.

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• Ajitpal - Verified booking

  Our family of 4 had a lovely time at the Laurels.

  The property was clean with a well-equipped kitchen and plenty of facilities like garden furniture, wireless chargers, Sky TV, BT Sports etc. The location is great - only 5 minutes' drive from Lakeside Pier to catch a ferry to Ambleside or Bowness. We didn't face any hot water issues as there were instructions in the welcome pack - press the boost button on the HIVE and viola!! The owners seem to be really good at taking feedback onboard as some of the "missing/ unavailable" things from previous feedbacks were available during our stay. There was so much to do and see that we didn't get a chance to use the Cascade Spa and Fitness facilities, but it was nice to have that option in case it was needed (bad weather etc!!) The property is in a quiet location just off A590 but it also means you could hear some intermittent traffic at night. This was the case during our first night of stay - rest of the nights we were perhaps too tired from our excursions to hear anything :-) and slept really well. Overall, it is a nice property away from crowds but with easy access to some lovely walks and usual touristy places. Won't hesitate in recommending it for a nice break.

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• Jennifer - Verified booking

  A lovely large and spacious house, very well decorated with good furnishings.

  Excellent fully fitted kitchen with all the utencils required. Extremely clean,(thank you to the cleaners). The reason for only 4 stars is because the leather sofa in the lounge needs attention,it is very low, some of the bottom seats have lost their fillings, therefore has no support. Both the double bed and twin beds are uncomfortable, they need new mattresses When I booked this property I asked about the hill up to the house, as I have a lung condition and can't walk up steep hills. I was assured the hill was only slight, so went ahead and reserved the property. As you can imagine, on arrival at the bottom of Brantwood Road I was shocked to see how extremely steep the hill was up to the house. This definitely needs stating in the description. Because of this we had to use the car every day when we went out, even when only going down to the lake and shops, parking was very difficult because it was so busy. Otherwise, as stated earlier the house was excellent.

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• James - Verified booking

  Overall, we enjoyed our stay in this cottage.

  It’s cosy, clean and well maintained. We got everything we need for our stay The location is excellent. It’s close to Lakeside, Bowness on Windermere. We even drove to Grasmere and Keswick. Compare to hotels, you get more space and is cheaper. Some suggestions for the cottage: 1, The hot water is just enough for one person to have a shower I suppose. Perhaps change the schedule for more time to heat the water. 2, The kitchen is dark, especially in the washing up area. It’s very inconvenient for doing washing up at night time. We used the torch in the kitchen but it is still too dark in the washing up area. 3, The second bedroom has 2 single beds at the same height. The height is too great for a young child. I was worried my 4 yd son could fell off his bed. For his safety I have placed a chair on the side of his bed to stop him falling out. 4, A hair dryer would be very useful if provided, especially in winter time.

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